Parking woes in downtown Fitchburg spark City Hall Cafe move

FITCHBURG -- After 10 years on Main Street, the City Hall Cafe will move to Summer Street later this year and change its name to the Summer Street Cafe.

Restaurant owner John Karanasios said he has purchased the former Mr. C's Coffee Shop at 400 Summer St. After some kitchen, aesthetic and handicapped-accessibility renovations are completed at the new location, Karanasios said he will close his location at 695 Main St., and intends to open the Summer Street Cafe in September or October.

City Hall Cafe owner John Karanasios plans to move the restaurant from Main Street to Summer Street. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Ashley Green

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"I know if I survive 10 years on Main Street here, every place I go I will survive," Karanasios said.

He said a number of reasons have contributed to the move.

When City Hall was vacated across the street and moved to office space on nearby Boulder Drive, Karanasios said he lost a lot of business from people who would drop in as they came and went from City Hall.

Another ongoing issue, he said, has been the large number of parking tickets his customers have received moments after their meters expired, especially around lunchtime, which has led to some customers choosing to go elsewhere for lunch.

Karanasios said he has tried to work with the city on numerous occasions to resolve the issue, including attempts to have time-limited free parking for diners and people stopping to pick up takeout meals, but to no avail.

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He said he has even paid a number of the parking tickets to keep his customers happy, and that he and other employees would go out and put extra time on the meters to prevent tickets from being issued, but that he cannot afford to keep doing that.

Karanasios said he has seen a lot of businesses come and go during his time on Main Street, and feels the city has not done enough to support existing businesses and attract new ones, especially in the downtown.

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The new location will have plenty of free, off-street parking, Karanasios said.

While Karanasios rents his Main Street space, he said he has attempted for about a year to find another restaurant to move into, but has been unsuccessful in finding another tenant.

Will and Ellen Wilho of Ashby said they've been eating at City Hall Cafe since it opened and will continue to go to its new location for the great food and friendly service.

"We feel like family, really," Will Wilho said.

He said he knew the restaurant would be moving, and that it was unfortunate that the frequent parking tickets were the cause.

"My feeling is, that kind of discourages business," he said.

The current location of City Hall Cafe, at 695 Main St., Fitchburg.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Ashley Green

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

Jayne Matthews of Lunenburg and Michelle Losurdo of Winchendon were surprised Tuesday to find out the restaurant would be moving. The Workers' Credit Union employees said they've often frequented City Hall Cafe since it opened because it's a nice place they could walk to for lunch.

"I'm sad we won't be able to walk down for lunch soon," said Matthews, who is vice president of mortgage lending for the credit union.

She said she's glad the restaurant will have a new location, which will be closer to her home for weekend brunch trips.

"I'm glad it's continuing elsewhere, but I'm sorry to see it leave Main Street," agreed Martha Wells Quirk of Fitchburg.

The future location of City Hall Cafe, at 400 Summer St., the former site of Mr. C's Cafe. The restaurant will also undergo a name change to Summer Street Cafe.
SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / Ashley Green

Sentinel and Enterprise staff photos can be ordered by visiting our SmugMug site.

Mayor Lisa Wong said she understands parking has been an issue for City Hall Cafe since it opened, but found it encouraging that a business that has leased for a long time is now investing in the city, and she believes the new site will attract even more customers.

"My understanding is that he is making a lot of improvements, and I hope that means our city will enjoy his food for a long time to come," she said.

Wong said she hopes streetscape improvements in that area will help to grow and attract other businesses.

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